Messenger Crow
by xxCindaxx
Summary: After contracting a terminal illness, Tsukiko is transported from Konoha to the peaceful outskirts of the village, where she resides with her caretaker to live out the short number of days she has left. When she finds an injured crow perched on top of the window sill of her room, she takes a silly chance and writes a small note attached to the crow - only to get a response back.
1. Note 1

Messenger Crow

Note #1

* * *

 **Hello? I wonder if this crow belongs to someone.**

 **Your crow was injured, the body was bleeding. If you're worried about your crow, I've got it under control. It has rested after I treated it with some medicine. It's healthy again.**

 **Tsukiko.**

The sickly woman smiled to herself, unhanding her pen and rolling up the small note, placing it around the crow's leg and securing it with an elastic band.

The crow cooed at her, wanting to bite her due to her constantly touching it, but decided against it because she had healed it.

"I'm going to call you 'Crow'..." Tsukiko giggled to herself, finding her naming sense horrible. "I don't know what else to call you. Sorry, Crow."

The black crow extended its long arm span and flapped, causing the woman to squint her big brown eyes as her short wavy black hair fluttered. Crow took off, cawing as it flew out the window.

Tsukiko waved at the small creature, watching as it sailed the skies.

"I wish I was as free as Crow..." she murmured sadly.

* * *

Crow landed on a man's shoulder, cawing softly. Its head twitched as it looked around, spotting its owner's partner in crime.

"Oh hey, Itachi! Your crow's back." The blue skinned man grinned, lifting up his black cloak adorned with red clouds to the crow. "I thought it got eaten and died." He said with amusement.

Crow sat on top of the shoulder of a tall, dark haired figure. He was wearing the same attire as the blue skinned man. His dark hair framed his face perfectly, the length tied into a low ponytail obscured by the cloak. His eyes were an indecipherable onyx.

Itachi didn't reply and glanced at the crow on his shoulder, who was shaking its leg. He stared at the crow's leg in mild surprise, seeing a rolled up white note attached. Curiously, he tugged the note from the crow, opening and revealing its contents.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his features.

"Kisame, let's stop by the next village. I need to get some things."

His blue haired companion only grinned. "Sure, sure."

* * *

Itachi scribbled a few sentences on a new note, rolling it up into a small note before attaching it to the crow's leg, much like how the first note arrived. The crow cawed and tilted its head in confusion.

"You know where to go."

The crow chirped and flapped its wings, soaring off into the sky.


	2. Note 2

Messenger Crow

Note #2

* * *

 _ **Thank you, Tsukiko.**_

There was no other message written on the note except for those words. It made the woman feel grateful that she even got a reply. She giggled to herself and re-read the note a couple of times, admiring the writing of the mysterious person she got a reply from.

"But who is the person...?" She stared blankly at the note. She was curious. Curious of who it was. "Maybe I should send another note...?" She thought out loud.

Her gaze shifted outside, to the crow perched on the window sill. It stared at her with its big dark eyes, almost as if it was waiting for something.

"Do you want me to send another note to your owner?" She asked Crow.

Crow didn't respond, only rearranging itself on the sill. Tsukiko laughed gently to herself, a soft smile on her lips. "If you're waiting for me to write a note, then I guess I should!" She had made up her mind. Taking the paper and pen from her bedside table, the woman stared at the blank page before her, contemplating about what to write.

"Should I ask that person how their day was? Should I tell them that I'm sick? Wait no-" Tsukiko slapped a hand over her mouth and coughed a couple of times.

Crow had jumped, staring at Tsukiko with surprise. She stared at her palm, seeing some blood. No longer cringing at the sight of her own blood, she grabbed a tissue from the table and wiped her hands and mouth with it.

"Oh no...! I got some blood on the paper!" Tsukiko sighed, seeing a tiny drop of blood on the page. She flipped to another page, but was surprised to find that it was her last page.

"I need Mika-chan to get me some more..." Tsukiko licked her lips, tapping the pen gently to her temple, thinking of what to write.

Mika was her caretaker. She was a registered nurse at the Konoha hospital, but volunteered to go with Tsukiko to the outskirts to take care of her. She had known Tsukiko since she was young.

Crow cawed softly. Tsukiko turned her head towards the dark feathered creature. It looked like it wanted to say something. Crow's head turned to the paper at her lap. It jumped off the sill and onto the bed, pecking at the blank page.

"Ah! Crow! Stop it!" Tsukiko tried to grab the avian but to no avail, it avoided each one of her attempts. Finally, she gave up. "Moving too much isn't that great..." She sighed deeply and took the note from the crow, turning so that she was facing her table. "Crow...Ah! I wonder, does Crow have a name?"

The young woman smiled to herself and scribbled down a couple of sentences before attaching the note to Crow's leg just like last time. Petting the head of the bird gently, Tsukiko murmured, "Here you go. Go to your owner. You were waiting for this, weren't you?" Crow cawed squawked and flew off into the distance.

Tsukiko watched it as it flew, seeing its graceful movements in the sky.

"Tsukiko?" Mika knocked a couple of times from the outside.

"Come in."

Turning the knob, Mika carefully juggled a notepad in her hands, along with a tray of food and medicine. She let herself in, smiling at the sickly woman. "It's time for tea, Tsuki." She placed the meal onto the bedside table, before handing her the writing material. "Here. I know how much you like to jot down your thoughts." Tsukiko grinned when she saw it.

"Thank you! I really needed that!"

"Tsukiko, remember to take your medicine." Mika tapped the top of the small bottle of pills, seriousness evident in her voice and expression.

Tsukiko nodded, eyeing the pills. She had to take one every meal. It would ease the pain and the coughs would become less frequent. All in all, it's helping her survive.

"I don't get why I still need to take these." Tsukiko murmured.

Mika's blonde brows jumped, before she pressed her lips together into a tight lipped small smile. "Tsuki, it's to prolong your life."

"But...I'm already dying, aren't I?" the sick woman's eyes were almost pleading. "Both you and I know it."

Mika sat on the edge of the woman's bed. "Tsuki, you've got to understand that we're doing all we can to help you."

Tsuki exhaled through her nose and gripped her covers. "How long do I have left?"

Mika stared at her with sad eyes.


	3. Note 3

Messenger Crow

Note #3

* * *

 **Does this crow have a name? I named it 'Crow'. Crow keeps waiting for me to write something, so here it is.**

 **Oh, by any chance, are you a shinobi? Your crow can dodge my attempts to grab it quite easily. For me, I'm not a shinobi. I did become one once, but after they discovered that I was sick, they stripped me of the title.** **Since then, I haven't been doing any shinobi like things since my health is deteriorating.**

 **Tsukiko.**

Itachi raised his brow at the new note he had gotten. It was definitely a lot longer than the one that he had gotten before.

Furrowing his brows, the stoic male glanced at his crow. He really hadn't named the crow. Normally he would have chuckled at the naming sense of this woman, but he did not. Instead, slight amusement shone in his eyes.

The second paragraph confused him. He didn't get how trying to grab a crow would be considered a shinobi thing. Any bird or animal will try and avoid getting 'captured' by anything. It was in their nature to.

She was sick. Itachi was unfazed by this. But it must have been serious enough for her to stop being a ninja. The Uchiha saw a speck of blood on the sheet. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He concluded that she was sick enough to be coughing out blood.

Was that why she was sending out notes to a random person who she didn't know? Just because of a crow? And because she was sick? He wondered.

"Itachi, we're here." Kisame stopped on the tallest part of the hill, overlooking Takigakure. "I'm starving. Let's get something to eat." Itachi nodded in agreement.

The two Akatsuki members made their way down to the village, settling down at a dango shop. Once their order was placed, Itachi took out the small square block notepad he had gotten. He started writing.

Kisame raised an eyebrow. He was surprised the Uchiha would do these kinds of things. But he thought wrong. With amusement, he saw Itachi attach the note to the crow's leg before letting it fly.

"Is that going to the same place as before?" Kisame asked out of curiosity.

Itachi placed the stationary back into his pockets before meeting Kisame's eyes.

"Yeah." Was Itachi's short reply.

Kisame grinned as the freshly made dango was placed in front of him and his partner. He chowed down on it and drank some green tea.

"Ah, that was good." The big man sighed, patting his stomach. He was content.

Kisame plopped his elbow down onto the table, leaning his chin on it. "So, what do those messages say?" He wanted to know what got his normally disinterested partner interested.

Itachi just stared at his partner, expressionless. The blue haired man sighed, waving his hand dismissively. "Okay, okay."

"Anyway, other than your business, we've got to finish that mission. We need to gather some information." Kisame recalled what the Leader had told them. "There should be some informants in this village."

Itachi nodded, savouring the taste of the dango.

He wondered what kind of note Tsukiko would send him next. It was a fascinating new addition to his life.

 _What would she do if she knew I were an S-ranked shinobi in Akatsuki?_


	4. Note 4

Messenger Crow

Note #4

* * *

 **Yes, I am a shinobi.**

 **'Crow' is fine. It seems to have taken a liking to you. Normally it is impatient.**

Just like before, there was no name to tell who it was from. Tsukiko grinned when she received it. She was happy that she got someone to write to, instead of just communicating to Mika. It made her anticipate the next days of her short life.

Her eyes drifted downwards to her hands. She re-read the note a couple of times, before placing it to the side and grabbing her own to write with. She turned to look at Crow, but noticed that it had a single red eye.

"Huh?" Tsukiko's interest in Crow perked and she moved to an angle where she could see the eye clearer. She gasped in awe. The eye was a beautiful red and had a strange, almost pinwheel like design, with 4 'wheels'. But when she blinked, the design was gone and replaced with 3 small black magatama in a circle, before returning back to its dark eye colour.

"What is this...?" She tilted her head in confusion. Crow just stared at her, before chirping gently.

Tsukiko smiled and tried to pet the avian. To her surprise, Crow let her. Giggling to herself, she pulled her hand back and began to write.

Finishing it off, she didn't forget to ask about the most important thing.

The person's name.

* * *

"Woah. That person sure replies quickly, huh?" Kisame laughed as he heard the familiar caw of his partner's crow. Stopping briefly in his tracks, the blue skinned man looked over his shoulder. "The person probably has too much time on their hands."

Itachi stayed silent and took the note. 'Crow', as Tsukiko had named it, was on Itachi's shoulder, peering over it so that it could also look at the note.

Now, the crow cannot understand what was going on, but it was smart enough to know that its owner and the person who had healed it were exchanging notes.

 **I never got your name! Please tell me your name, so I know who I'm addressing.**

 **Hahaha, Crow lets me pet him now! (Hopefully it's a he; I'm going to refer to Crow as he from now on)**

 **When Crow came by today, I noticed that one of his eyes are red! I never noticed it before now. It changed 'designs' as well. It had a pinwheel look to it the first time, but then it went and changed into one with 3 magatama circling the pupil, before it went back to its normal dark eyes. What is that? It looks very pretty! Like rubies! Oh, but onyx is nice, too!**

 **What rank shinobi are you? I never got past being a genin.**

 **Tsukiko.**

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction. It was unnoticeable, but he did. One thought went through his mind: _She didn't know what the sharingan was?_

Glancing at the crow perched on his shoulder, the Uchiha saw the sharingan he placed into the crow. It flashed a dangerous red before returning to its dark colour. Normally he would have it safely kept at his disposal, but he had to release it to gather some information regarding a certain village.

"Is something the matter, Itachi?" Kisame stopped walking and turned to his side, watching his partner reading the note.

 _I shouldn't tell her that I am an Uchiha. It's too risky. I guess I'll tell her about the sharingan...after all, it should be common knowledge around the great 5 nations._

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the note. _But who hasn't heard of the sharingan? She must be living in isolation._

Kisame raised an eyebrow. Itachi was writing another note again. He sighed to himself. Ever since his partner had first gotten the note from the crow, he'd been writing to whoever it was on the opposite side.

"You must be quite interested in the conversation if you keep writing back." Kisame drawled. "I wonder if it's a plot by another shinobi?"

Kisame's question was quite valid. After all, Tsukiko _could_ be a ninja disguised as a civilian. But Crow seemed to think otherwise. Itachi's eyes flickered back to Crow. He secured the note and sent the bird off with the message.

"I wonder that, too." Itachi mused.


	5. Note 5

Messenger Crow

Note #5

* * *

 **I don't have a rank. I am a missing-nin.**

 **Crow's eyes are a result of the sharingan. I implanted it into the crow.**

 **Itachi.**

Tsukiko's eyes widened as she read the name. She grinned, showing Crow the note. "Look, Crow! Your owner's name is Itachi!" She exclaimed with excitement. Crow chirped absentmindedly, pecking at the piece of paper.

"Ah! Crow! Stop!" The woman pulled the note quickly away from the bird, pressing it to her chest. These notes had become precious to her, since they were her other connection to the outside world besides her parents.

Crow opened a wing and messed her loosened hair, making it go the opposite parting. Tsukiko glanced at the feathered creature. He was perched on top of her shoulder, watching her closely. His head rubbed against the side of her head.

The sick female reached up to pet the crow, her fingers lightly grazing the feathered neck. She held a sad smile. "Crow…it's okay. I'm not that lonely anymore."

Crow just cawed as she walked back inside from her morning walk. As she walked into the house, Mika blinked at the crow on Tsukiko's shoulder. Crow didn't budge at all as he looked at his surroundings with curiosity.

"Don't mind him," Tsukiko giggled. "He doesn't bite. He's a friend of mine."

Mika stared at her patient with raised brows. But when she saw her smile, she relaxed and nodded her head. "Make sure you both don't make a mess." She teased.

Tsukiko laughed. "Yes, we won't!"

"Oh! And before I forget…" Mika pulled out an envelope from her apron pocket, handing it to the girl. "This is from your parents." She explained.

Tsukiko stared at the envelope, her eyes wide. She nearly snatched it from Mika, who let go of it at the right moment.

"Thanks Mika!" She breathed, hurrying her step to her room.

"Don't rush yourself, Tsuki!" Mika warned. Once she heard the door open to her room, she sighed, going into the kitchen. She had to prepare her medicines.

Mika's blue eyes scanned the numerous bottles of medicine until she came across the right one. "Here we go…"

Back in Tsukiko's room, she opened the letter, happiness bubbling inside of her. She hadn't heard from her parents in a very long time! They were too busy to visit her, so they often sent letters in envelopes.

Crow was still perched on her shoulder, watching.

 **Tsukiko, it's been a long time. It's your parents.**

 **How have you been doing? Have you been taking your medicine? Is Mika taking care of you properly?**

 **We'd love to visit you, but we're too busy to.**

 **But we want to see your face one last time before the time comes. We know you don't have too long left.**

 **We're sorry that we can't be there with you right now.**

 **Love,**

 **Mother & Father.**

Tsukiko felt a tear escape her eye as she re-read the letter many times. She felt happy knowing that her parents were still keeping in contact with her, but she felt sad because she would be departing before they would.

The sickly woman rubbed the tears from her eyes and closed the letter, placing it back into the envelope. She opened a drawer next to her bedside table and placed the envelope on the top of the neat pile of stacked envelopes she had accumulated over time, all from her parents.

"Thanks, mother…father…" Tsukiko said gently, shutting the drawer.

She pulled open the drawer next to it, staring at the notes she had received from Itachi. There weren't that many, but it made her happy that she even got them. The one in her hands was crumpled slightly from being in her hand, but she unravelled it and smoothed it out.

"A missing-nin?" She blinked and tried to remember what those type of ninja were. She thought long and hard, before eventually, an answer popped into her head. "Is Itachi…a ninja that abandoned his village?" She asked out loud.

The answer was right in front of her. He was.

"Hm…" Tsukiko thought for a moment, but felt her chest constrict painfully, her throat tickling. She doubled over and slapped a hand over her mouth as hollow coughs shook her body, causing her to vomit blood.

Mika was at Tsukiko's side in an instant. She grabbed a nearby towel and handed it to the woman, who weakly coughed into it, staining it crimson. Mika rubbed her patient's back soothingly, pulling her hair back and tying it. Tsukiko groaned gently and tried to clean up the blood. Her caretaker snatched the towel away from her and shook her head.

"Tsuki, you stay here. I'll go get something to clean you up." Mika quickly left, leaving the towel on the ground. When she returned, she handed a glass of water and some pills to Tsuki, who took it diligently.

"Sorry…" Tsukiko's voice was hoarse as she watched Mika clean up after her.

Mika stared at her patient helplessly. "Tsuki, it's fine. Just rest."

Tsukiko didn't reply, placing the glass on the ground. She watched the blood separate in the water. Mika handed her a towel and cleaned up her face and hands despite her weak protests.

"There. Hm? What's that you're holding so tightly?" Mika questioned, staring at the hand that was in a fist.

Tsukiko had nearly forgotten about the note. She uncurled her hand and stared at the crumpled paper, before smoothing it out again.

Mika had read the contents already. Her brows furrowed slightly. "Tsukiko, you shouldn't associate yourself with missing-nin. They're traitors of the village." She reprimanded her.

Tsukiko shook her head, dismissing whatever Mika had to say. "I'm not directly involved with them…it doesn't matter anyway; I'm going to die."

"Tsuki!" Mika frowned, inhaling sharply. She calmed herself down before speaking, trying to level her head. "Tsuki…if you really insist on sending notes, make sure it doesn't contain any information about the village. They may be using you."

Tsukiko stared down at the note, not responding to the woman. She felt too weak to say anything back.

Mika took the glass of water from the ground and left the room.

Crow cawed gently, flying down from the window to next to Tsukiko. It continued to caw gently, as if asking if she was alright.

Tsukiko pushed the corners of her lips to a small smile, even if it was forced. "Crow…it's ok…"

With great difficulty, she stood up and took the notepad with her, writing down a couple of things before ripping it off and placing it around Crow's leg. Crow stood in front of Tsukiko for a long moment, staring up at her, his eye swirling into a red colour. Tsukiko pet the avian.

"It's ok…" She repeated, "You can go now."

Silently, the crow spread his wings and flew.


	6. Note 6

Messenger Crow

Note #6

* * *

 **A missing-nin…I'm surprised that a missing-nin is sending these notes. I always thought of them to be scary and dangerous. You don't sound dangerous, but I think that's because I haven't actually met you, Itachi.**

 **The sharingan sounds really cool! I won't ask about why you implanted it into Crow.**

 **My illness is acting up again. It's worse than I thought. The medicines aren't helping as much as they used to.**

 **Tsukiko.**

Itachi stared at the note, expression impassive. He didn't _sound_ dangerous? He wanted to sigh and say that he was, but she would probably say something along the lines of, 'Oh, okay then'. It gave Itachi a slight headache. She seemed to be very naïve and lacking in what she _should_ fear and not fear.

 _She might not be afraid of death…?_ Itachi's mind wandered and he stared at the ground. _That's right…she's sick. It even says her medicines aren't helping. Hmm, she didn't ask what the sharingan was._

The Uchiha had to admit, half of this he wasn't expecting. He thought she'd start asking about the Uchiha clan, given that the sharingan was part of it. He also thought that by replying that he was a missing-nin (which is basically a criminal) that she would stop. No, she did not stop. She didn't seem to care.

 _Is it because we're not directly acquainted?_ Itachi shifted his gaze from the ground to straight ahead.

Kisame stopped abruptly and so did Itachi. The blue skinned man turned to face his partner, nodding his head. Their Leader was calling. With a small nod in response, the Akatsuki duo went over to the trees and placed their hands together.

Appearing as silhouettes in a dimly lit cave, they were greeted by the silhouette of their Leader. They saw his rinnegan stare at them as they manifested.

"Itachi, Kisame, you're here." The Leader stated rather plainly.

"You called, Leader-sama?" Kisame asked. He glanced and saw that it was only them two. "Huh? How come it's only us?"

"I have a mission for both of you. It came in today." Pain, their Leader stared at them with unwavering eyes.

The Akatsuki pair's attention perked.

"But we haven't finished our current mission." Kisame blinked. "We still need to collect some information from another part of Takigakure."

"Put that mission on hold for the moment." Pain said simply. "This one is more urgent."

"More urgent?" Itachi's eyes thinned. This was the first time his Leader had done that.

"Yes. A mission has come in for an assassination. It came from a high ranking individual and will be beneficial for our organisation in terms of funds." Pain explained.

"Kakuzu will be happy." Kisame chuckled, "Who are we killing?"

"She's the youngest daughter of a famous medicine company's owner. The client requests her to be killed so that they don't need to waste any more money on her." The Akatsuki Leader relayed the information.

"Waste any more money? Aren't we getting paid to do this anyway?" Kisame asked, not getting the point.

"The daughter is terminally ill. She gets the medicine free of charge since she's the daughter of the company owners. The medicine to decrease symptoms is much more expensive than simply asking for an assassination." Pain clarified.

"Oh." Kisame nodded his head slowly. "So they want to save their money and supplies, eh…" He shook his head. "Alright, where do we find her and what does she look like?"

Pain nodded his head. "Zetsu will give you the files for this mission. You are dismissed." The Leader's silhouette disappeared.

Doing the same thing, Itachi and Kisame were back in their real locations. As their Leader said, Zetsu, their spy member, came from the ground holding a piece of paper in his hand. He resembled a large Venus flytrap with a person in between, half black and half white.

"Here **you go**." Zetsu's dual personalities spoke.

Itachi silently took the files from Zetsu. The Akatsuki member disappeared the way he came, having finished his job.

"What does it say, Itachi?" Kisame watched his partner's expression.

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction when he read the name. He stared at the picture, seeing a woman with short wavy black hair and big brown eyes staring out the window with a dazed look. Crow cawed and tried pecking the photo, but Itachi held the avian back.

"So?" Kisame pressed. He had seen Itachi's reaction and wanted to understand why he acted that way. His partner handed the papers to the sword wielder.

Kisame skimmed over the contents and looked at the picture. "Tsukiko, huh? She lives near Konoha. You might know her, Itachi."

Itachi didn't respond and merely glanced at his blue haired companion with unreadable onyx eyes.

Crow flew off Itachi's shoulder and grabbed the file with his claws, making Kisame let go of it. He landed back on the Uchiha's shoulder with the file and ripped the photograph off the file, holding it in his beak. The claws loosened from the file nearly dropped the file, but Itachi grabbed it. Crow began to wave the photograph around in front of his face.

Why was Crow acting this way? Itachi only had one conclusion. Crow recognised the face of the woman.

 _Tsukiko…could it be_?


	7. Note 7

**Messenger Crow**

 **Note #7**

* * *

There hadn't been a reply from Itachi. Tsukiko frowned, her fingers intertwining together as she stood in the morning sun. It bathed her in a gentle light, making her sigh with content.

"Tsuki, I'll be going out to report to the hospital. I'll be back soon." Mika walked to where the woman stood, a bag on her shoulders. She was dressed and ready to leave.

Tsukiko turned to the woman and nodded her head slowly. "Alright…"

Mika smiled and placed a hand on her patient's shoulder. "Make sure to not overexert yourself, ok? Don't make me more worried than I already am." With a wave, Mika had gone.

The sickly woman felt the sun's warmth disappear from her skin. A dark cloud had covered the sun. It looked like it was going to rain. Without a word, Tsukiko strode inside.

Day by day, the frequency of her coughs would increase. She was currently fine, feeling only a little weak as she ate the breakfast Mika had prepared. Taking her medicine and swallowing, she heard a loud caw from her room. With wide, surprised brown eyes, she recognised that distinctive caw. With a small smile, she finished up her breakfast and washed the plate before heading to her room.

Once she was in, she saw Crow perched on the window sill, watching her every move.

"Hello Crow!" Tsukiko breathed, walking over to where he sat. "I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" She knew talking to Crow was useless; he would never really reply back to her. But she felt as though she could talk to him and that he would listen to her ramble about inconsistent things.

Crow chirped and jumped to the far side of the sill. She saw outside, seeing the clouds overtake the sky. She saw a flash of red and black in the trees near the house. She blinked and saw nothing. Leaning back, she supported her back with the wall, grabbing her notepad.

"Crow...am I seeing things?" Tsuki stared at the dark coloured crow for clarity. He didn't reply, only jumping in his spot as she talked to him. "Yeah…I think I am, Crow…"

Tsuki started to write a couple of words, but before her pen could touch the paper, there was a loud creaking sound.

Crow's head jerked into the direction of the door opening. Tsukiko's brows jumped; Mika was back already?

"Mika, that was really quick." Tsukiko said, waiting for the blonde to come in.

The door opened slowly and she stared with surprise at the two that had come in. It wasn't Mika. These two wore black cloaks adorned with red clouds. The taller one had blue skin and matching hair that spiked at one point and had a huge bandaged sword on his back. The shorter had black hair that framed his face and onyx eyes. They both had scratches through their forehead protectors, showing that they were missing-nin. They emitted a deadly aura that made Tsuki want to cower, especially from the blue skinned man. But she did not, since they must have had a reason to come to see her.

Crow cawed loudly and flapped his wings, flying to the dark haired man, who lifted his arm to let the avian sit on his hand. Crow chirped and turned his head from the man to Tsuki.

"So that's where your crow went, Itachi…" The blue skinned man chuckled and glanced at the crow then at the girl. "Are you Tsukiko?"

The woman nodded, feeling her eyes widen when the blue man spoke that name. "Hello…to you too. Did you want me for something?" She asked politely. Tsuki glanced at Itachi and Crow, wondering if it was the same person she sent notes to.

"We've been sent on a mission to kill you." Kisame stated bluntly, hand grasping the handle of Samehada.

Tsukiko blinked, feeling mildly shocked. But she relaxed and closed her eyes, accepting it. She didn't ask for a reason. She wasn't going to get away anyway, and it was her fate to die soon. Just a bit earlier than she had thought. A light weight on her lap caused her to open her brown eyes, seeing Crow standing on the notepad she held. She looked up to the cloaked males.

"Before you kill me, can I ask a few questions?" Tsukiko requested. She knew it was a little farfetched to request something before they would kill her, but she wanted to confirm something. She had to try.

Kisame blinked with confusion and shrugged. "You seem like you're ready to die. Eh, makes our jobs easier. What did you want to ask?"

Tsukiko gently smiled and turned to Itachi, staring at him for a moment before finally speaking. "Are you Crow's owner?" She asked.

Crow flew onto Tsuki's shoulder. Itachi just watched her with slight pity. They were going to have to kill her, and she accepted it so easily. It was quite unfortunate.

Kisame raised a brow, glancing at Itachi. He wanted an answer already!

"Yes." Itachi finally replied. He expected Tsukiko to break down crying or even frown, but she just smiled and nodded her head.

"I wondered why you didn't reply…" The sick woman's eyes flickered from Itachi to Kisame, then back to Itachi. "Thank you for replying to a silly note…and the notes after that. It made me really happy."

Itachi stared at her blankly. Surely, she jested? How could a mere note make her feel happy? But from the way she said it, she was likely to have been lonely for quite a while, with the exception of the person called 'Mika'.

Kisame's eyes had widened and he listened to their quite one sided conversation. With a smirk, he suddenly understood.

 _So this is the person who Itachi's been sending notes to. Too bad we have to kill her._

"Is that your only question?" Itachi asked, a kunai sliding into his hand.

Tsukiko saw the gleam of the well-known ninja weapon but didn't reply. She picked up her pen and scribbled a couple of things onto the notepad before setting it to the side. Crow flew off her shoulder and to the note, eyeing it with curiosity.

Kisame began to pull out Samehada upon seeing Tsukiko nod. Itachi turned to Kisame, slight warning in his eyes.

"I'll take care of this. Your method is too destructive. We don't need to use Samehada to kill her." Itachi spoke, taking a step forward.

Kisame stared at him with surprise at the initiative, before shrugging and letting go of the handle. "Alright." He watched as Itachi walked forward.

Tsukiko just observed them from where she sat. She could hear Crow tearing the paper off the notepad. But she didn't look over. Instead, her eyes were on Itachi, who neared her. His expression was impassive, but she swore she saw a look of sadness flicker in his eyes.

Itachi stood next to her, his kunai pointed at her heart. Tsukiko gave Itachi a small but warm smile. "Thank you for exchanging notes with me." Her words made Itachi feel slightly bothered, even though he didn't show it on his face.

Without another word, Itachi plunged the kunai into her heart.

A gasp escaped from the sick woman as she slumped forward. She didn't say anything or cry. The pain was excruciating and she felt like her chest was on fire. It got harder to breathe and her consciousness was fading.

"Take care…of Crow…" Tsukiko whispered. Itachi's eyes widened. He pulled out the kunai and she slumped onto her side, facing Crow. Her blood stained her clothing and oozed onto the bed, successfully staining it crimson.

"We had nothing against you, kid. But a mission's a mission." Kisame spoke, walking out the door. The mission had succeeded.

Crow tapped his feet on the notepad, making a light noise as Itachi remembered the grim details of the day of the massacre. Tsukiko's words had forced him to remember the parting words of his parents.

He glanced over at Crow, noticing that he had a piece of the note that he ripped from the notepad. Crow waved it around. Itachi took the note from him and read it through. She had written it before he killed her.

 **I forgive you.**

 **I'll be waiting.**

 **Tsukiko.**

Those were the only words scribbled onto the paper. He hadn't apologized at all; what was she forgiving him for? Killing her? What did she mean waiting? He was confused.

Itachi turned to the dead woman. Her eyes were still open and blood came from the corner of her mouth. He placed his hands over her eyes and closed them, before taking the note with him and leaving without a glance back.

Crow stood on Itachi's shoulder, completely quiet. He cawed gently once. It was an almost sad caw, for the loss of his friend.

Itachi felt a drop of rain on his head, before it began to rain.

 _How fitting_ , he thought.

"Let's find shelter. I don't want to catch a cold." Kisame frowned, walking briskly to the trees.

The Uchiha and his crow followed his Akatsuki partner silently. He stared up at the dark clouds that had accumulated and closed his eyes.

 _I guess I won't be getting anymore notes._


	8. Note 8 - Epilogue

Messenger Crow

Note #8 - Epilogue

* * *

"Tsukiko!"

"Huh?" The short haired female turned around, finding herself in a bright empty space. It was pure white all around her. Her brown eyes glanced around, trying to find where the voice had come from.

"Tsukiko!" The same voice repeated. The voice was unfamiliar and called her from the front.

Her back straightened and she turned to face the person. Her eyes widened with surprise. The voice belonged to a teenage boy. He was taller than she was, dressed in a high collar dark shirt with matching pants and no shoes. His hair was dark and curly, slightly falling over his familiar onyx eyes. He took much of the focus from the white background.

"Hey, Tsukiko!" The male grinned, showing off his white teeth.

The female had no idea who the boy was. She didn't feel threatened by his presence; it was rather pleasant.

"I'm sorry…who are you?" She asked politely. She didn't want to offend someone that sounded like they actually knew her.

Seeing her confusion, the male laughed and placed a hand on his hip, grinning with closed eyes. He opened them again, smiling. "You named me, after all!" He took a pause, an eyebrow raising as he rethought what he said, "Wait, no, you didn't exactly _name_ me, per say, but more like…nicknamed me? I already have a name…hm…" The male shook his head and ran his fingers through his head in exasperation as he didn't know how to say it. "Sorry, it's a…weird situation."

Tsukiko blinked at the teen, before her lips curled into a small smile. She giggled at his expressions, they were just too comical! Upon seeing her smile, a grin broke out on the male's face.

"I nicknamed you, you say?" Tsukiko asked with interest. "What did I name you?"

The handsome boy nodded. "Yup! Remember Crow?"

The female raised an eyebrow and stared at him with a thinking face. She didn't remember anybody that looked like that at all! But his eyes seemed quite familiar, almost as if she'd seen them before. Then she realised what he had said.

Her lips parted and her eyes widened, "Crow?" How did this person know of Itachi's crow's nickname?

"Yeah! Don't you remember?" He tilted his head to a slight angle.

Tsukiko stared at him with an incredulous expression. "But…Crow's a crow?" She said with uncertainty. She was too confused right now – the man in front of her claimed her to have nicknamed him the name she had given to the crow she had healed. But in front of her was a _human_ , not a _crow_.

"Oh, that was stupid!" The male slapped a hand onto his forehead, shaking his head. "Sorry, sorry…I've confused you. Let me explain; the crow you named Crow, was me."

Tsukiko took a small step back in shock. "You're a crow?!" She gasped. "Can you turn into one?!" She took another step forward, her shocked expression replaced with a delighted one.

The man shook his head and hands quickly, "No, no!" He denied. "I'm not the _actual_ crow, but my eye was implanted into it, so technically I'm part of it." He explained.

Tsukiko's mouth formed an 'o' shape as she gasped and nodded her head, realising what he was saying. "So your eye was in Crow? The one that Itachi implanted into him?"

He nodded, smiling. "That's right! It's only one of my eyes, though. The other got…lost." He made a weird face, but then shrugged. "Sorry to surprise you." He said sheepishly, rubbing the side of his neck. "Thanks for taking care of me—I mean, the crow, when he was injured."

Tsukiko blushed at the words of gratitude, but then smiled, extending out her hand. "So that's who you are. I'll trust in your words, then…" She looked up at him expectantly, not getting his name. He _did_ say he had a name.

"Shisui. Shisui Uchiha." Shisui grinned and shook her hand, chuckling at the formality she showed.

"It's nice to meet you, Shisui. You already know my name, so there's no need to introduce myself." The woman tittered.

The Uchiha grinned and clicked his fingers. Next to them, a pair of comfortable chairs appeared, along with a table full of snacks and sweet desserts. He beckoned Tsuki to sit on the chair. They faced each other when they sat down.

"How did you do that…?" Tsukiko asked, staring at the various sweets on the table. They were all things she hadn't tried or seen before.

"Well…I don't really know." The male laughed. "Anyway, why don't you eat?" He took a couple of scones and ate them, a dreamy smile on his lips.

Tsukiko did the same, but she took a small bite. It was topped with whipped cream and jam. She recognised the ingredients, but she had never tried them this way before.

"…this is yummy!" She grinned and took a bigger bite, chewing happily.

Shisui watched her with a smile. Now that her illness wasn't a problem, she could do things that she used to not be able to do.

Once she finished, she stared at Shisui. "Thanks for the snack!" She clapped her hands together.

"It's fine." The man chuckled.

"Uhm…" Tsukiko started, her gaze still on the Uchiha. His brows raised. "Itachi told me—I mean, he sent me a note, saying that the eye was a sharingan."

"Well…an eye is an eye, and the sharingan is part of the eye." Shisui shrugged, "You're curious because I don't look like I have it?" She nodded. With a small chuckle, one of Shisui's eyes changed from onyx to red, showing off the sharingan. She grinned when she saw it.

"It's so beautiful! The colour reminds me of rubies!"

"Glad to hear that!" Shisui laughed, "Thank you!" His eye faded back to onyx and they settled on her. His tone became soft and his eyes relaxed, "What do you think of Itachi, Tsukiko?" He asked.

With a startled look, Tsukiko's brows jumped. She relaxed her shoulders and remembered the first time she saw his face. It was when he had to kill her. And kill her he did.

"The first time I saw him…was when he came to kill me." Tsukiko pressed her lips to a thin line. They then curled into a gentle small smile, "But I can't blame him, nor can I blame Kisame. They were just doing their job." She glanced up at Shisui.

He stared at her with intensely focused eyes. "He killed you…aren't you angry?"

Tsukiko let out a light laugh and shook her head. "No. I was going to die anyway, so I guess…it was, in a way, beneficial. I didn't need to suffer anymore."

Shisui sighed through his nose. "So you feel no hatred towards him?"

Tsukiko was stunned by his question, but yet again, shook her head. "No. But…he looked sad, just before he killed me. I'm not too sure if I saw correctly, though." She paused, "I don't think I could hate him." Shisui raised a brow, as if asking her why. "There's just…there's something that doesn't make him sound like – or feel like – a criminal at all." She let out a chuckle, "After all, what kind of criminal sends notes back to random people who send it to them?"

Shisui's eyes widened slightly. Even though part of his consciousness was in Crow, he didn't know she felt that way. With a small smile, Shisui closed his eyes. He was sure now, that she didn't hate him.

"He's a gentle boy." said Shisui. "He's had a tough life. I think he was happy that you gave him that last note."

Tsukiko racked her brain for what she wrote. It then popped into her mind, as something that she had scribbled down last minute. With a sweet giggle, she nodded her head.

"I want to meet him again." She smiled, brown eyes clear. "His notes are completely different from his demeanour. I want to see the _real_ Itachi. Plus, you said he was gentle. I want to see that side of him as well." She added, "You're the messenger crow that started all this! Thanks for sending my notes to him."

Shisui stared at her with shock, his mouth gaping. He shut up almost immediately, covering his eyes with his hand. A chuckle shook his body. Indeed, he was the messenger crow between them.

"Itachi is my best friend," Shisui looked back up at Tsukiko. Her eyes went big. "He's gone through a lot, but he's as you say. What you saw was a façade. His personality is closer to the notes than you think."

Tsukiko smiled. She said eagerly, "Tell me more!"

The teen laughed and clutched his stomach. Never had he heard someone sound that eager before other than Sasuke with his training. Wiping a tear that had come from the side of his eye, he grinned and nodded.

Thus, the story telling session began.

* * *

Mika stared at the bloody body, her eyes not shedding a single tear. Tsukiko's mother and father had arrived on the day when Mika had gone out to report to the hospital. When she had come back, they were already there, crying as their youngest daughter had already left the world without bidding them a goodbye.

"Tsukiko…" The woman's mother held onto her daughter's cold hand, pressing it to her lips. Her cheeks were tear strained and she sobbed, "I'm sorry we didn't visit you sooner…!"

Her husband placed an arm around her, pressing her close to him. He pressed his eyes closed, feeling the warm liquid come down his face.

"She's in a better place." He told her gently.

Mika heard their conversation from the opened door. Her blue eyes stared at the wound in Tsukiko's chest, seeing it there with perfect precision. She bowed her head in formal apology to the dead body, even though that person would never know.

 _I'm sorry. I did it because I didn't want to see you in pain. The medicines were something that your mother and father had prescribed you that helped you to live a longer life. The medicine was very expensive, but because he was your father, he let it slide because you were his daughter. It was an unfavourable move that started to lower the company's profit. I'm sorry Tsukiko. I wanted to lessen your pain and help the company I work for prosper. I'm sorry._

With a single tear sliding down her pale cheek, Mika turned on her heel.

* * *

Itachi's head hit the large fragment of the building once known as the Uchiha hideout. His forehead slid down the stone and he hit the ground, his consciousness and life having faded.

* * *

Itachi glanced around. The whole area was pure white. Was he in the afterlife? He started to walk forward, trying to find anything that could tell him about the place. His steps echoed against the non-existent walls. In the distance, he saw a few chairs and a male and female sitting on them, chatting idly. Having wandered the place aimlessly, he made his way towards the people sitting in the chairs. He noticed that there was an extra chair, unoccupied. Was there someone else?

"Ah!" The male of the pair turned to face Itachi's way. He stopped in his tracks. The female turned to look his way as well, before she stood up. The male jumped out of his chair and rushed to Itachi, causing him to raise a brow.

 _Why are they running towards me?_

"Itachi!" They called simultaneously.

The Uchiha's eyes widened as he recognised those voices. He hadn't heard them in so long. He stood frozen in his spot until they stopped in front of him.

"Itachi! Long-time no see, huh?" Shisui grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder. Itachi stared at him with widened eyes. He hadn't seen his best friend in nearly a decade!

"Itachi…we've been waiting for you." Tsukiko smiled gently at Itachi.

The man just stood there, his eyes glossy. He remembered her note before she died. She had kept her word.

"Is this…the afterlife?" Itachi asked, glancing around the pure white place.

Shisui and Tsukiko exchanged looks and nodded, grinning. Tsukiko grabbed his hand and tugged gently towards the chairs, whilst Shisui pulled on his arm.

"Come on, Itachi! You've got a lot of catch up on!" Shisui beamed.

"Itachi, come on! Now that you're finally here, we can finally fill up that empty chair!" Tsukiko laughed.

Itachi only stared at them with wide eyes. He was shocked, to say the least, but he was also happy. A small smile graced his features as he nodded. He whispered a word so gently, so quietly, that only they heard.

"Thank you."


	9. Note 9 - Extra

Messenger Crow

Note #9 - Extra

Itachi felt a sensation overcome him, feeling his conscious start to fade from where he was seated.

Shisui took notice almost immediately, looking over in interest. "Itachi, you okay?"

Tsukiko placed her cup of tea down onto the immaculate table, glancing over to the handsome man with regard. She blinked and rubbed her eyes when she noticed his figure start to fade away. "You're becoming transparent!" She freaked out, almost spilling the hot tea.

Shisui raised a brow and gasped when he noticed it too, reaching out a hand to touch Itachi's shoulder to see if he was disappearing. It was strange, the older Uchiha could still touch the younger's shoulder.

"What is this…?" His eyebrows knitted together in thought.

"I think someone is calling from the world of the living…" Itachi spoke after a moment. He was being warped away from the afterlife. As his vision started blurring, he glanced at both Tsukiko and Shisui, "I think it's only temporary. I'll be back soon?" He staged it as a question, a little unsure.

Itachi saw Tsukiko's shocked expression and wanted to chuckle. She had such colourful expressions. It amused him.

"Alright! Make sure to come back, will you?" Shisui grinned and gave him a little wave, "Do whatever you have to do over there! We'll be having our little tea party." He straightened his back and lifted his cup with his pinkie straight, sipping it with elegance. He snickered at his own actions, causing Tsukiko to break out in laughter and Itachi to chuckle lightly.

Itachi faded away completely, leaving the seat empty. Only his voice echoed, "I'll make sure to do that."

Once he was gone, Shisui smiled, his eyes soft. "So what do you think?" He glanced over at Tsuki.

She eyed him curiously. "What do I think about what?"

"Itachi. I told you he was not what you thought he was!" Shisui showed his pearly whites.

Tsukiko only beamed and nodded. "Yes! He's much more pleasant. Cheers for the messenger crow!" She brought her tea cup up, clinking it against his before taking a sip.

 _I have a nagging feeling they're talking about me…_ Itachi's brows furrowed slightly. He could almost hear his name being said on the other side as he walked while supporting Nagato.

"… **and he did that as a kid!"**

A melodious laugh echoed in his ears, causing Itachi to look up at the sky.

Nagato looked to the Uchiha, "Is something wrong?"

Itachi shook his head, staring ahead. "No. Not at all."

 _Maybe I'm just hallucinating._


End file.
